Surprises:
Rays
Tampa Bay turned out to be a big surprise, getting off to a perfect 13-0 start. Sure they've come down as of late, dropping 7 of the final 8 heading into the all star break. But the Rays offense through most of the first half of the season had been head and shoulders above the rest. They had gotten way ahead of the rest of the division, allowing them the breathing room before coming down to earth going into the break. They've got six guys that have more than ten home runs, and five guys with more than 40 RBI.
Rangers
If you had Texas leading the AL West at the halfway mark raise your hand. Adolis Garcia has gone off, driving in 75 runs and clubbing over 20 homers. There was four other Rangers with over 50 RBI's and seven hitters with double digits in home runs. They've been getting balanced hitting and great staring pitching, even without Jacob deGrom in the rotation.
Reds
Speaking of balanced offense, that's what your starting to see more of in Cincinnati. They're atop the NL Central and killing it.
Disappointments:
Mets
After spending all the money they did in the offseason. They tried to build off the 101 win season last year and so far its fallen flat on its face. This has been the furthest back of first place the Mets have been at the break in the last 20 years. Yes, Alonso and Lindor have been driving in runs, but there averages are low. They have a plus side in Francisco Alveraz, but the rest of the team has been a letdown, at least by comparison to last year and the standards that the owners have tried to set.
Padres
This was a team that just a season ago, was three wins away from the world series. Now, they're four games under .500 and eight and a half back at the break. Yes, you're getting production from their big guns in Soto, Tatis and Machado, but the rest of the supporting cast isn't there.
Best Rookie:
AL: Josh Jung (Texas) NL: Corbin Carroll (Arizona)
What Jung is doing at the hot corner in Texas is amazing. He's playing quality defense at 3rd. And he's holding it down in the middle of the Texas lineup, hitting .280, and driving in 56 runs in 88 games. What Carroll is doing in Arizona is downright impressive. He's the heart and soul of a lineup that's got 52 wins on the year and is the 2nd best team in the AL West behind only the Dodgers. Can he keep it up? Only time will tell, but for the time being he's been powering that team.
Best Manager:
AL: Bruce Bochy (Texas) NL: Tory Lovuello (Arizona)
With the NL, you could make an argument for Brian Snitker in Atlanta, who have the best record in baseball at this point. But that's expected of the Braves. With Lovuello, this is an Arizona team that wasn't expected to be this far above .500. They have the 2nd best record in the NL West and the 3rd most wins in the NL. You can also make a case for Skip Schumaker for what he's doing over in Miami. As for the AL its a two horse race. Kevin Cash in Tampa can be one argument for getting the Rays to the best record in the AL at the break. But I have to give it to Bochy in Texas with that young lineup and no deGrom he's got them to the best record in the AL West.
Cy Young:
AL: Shane McClanahan (Rays) NL: Spencer Streider (Braves)
Shane leads the AL with an 11-1 record and is second in ERA. He's in the top 20 in strikeouts, but the fact that he's only at 96 innings may hurt his case later. But still when he's on his game, he's ON his game and there's few better. For Streidxer, he's been so dominating on the Braveas mound its scary. I know he hasn't worked as hard as Gullen in Arizona, but he's just been as if not more dominating.
MVP:
AL: Shohei Otani (Angels) NL: Ronald Acuna Jr (Braves)
This race for both isn't even that close. Otani has been one of the best hitters in the AL this year and is the only hitter in the majors at the break to have clubbed 30 dingers. Acuna has been doing it all for the Braves and has been head a shoulders above the rest of the league.
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